Listen Up

I recently spoke to an ex Australian government official about Tony Abbott.

“Abbott”, he said, “is not a good listener. He does as he pleases, and it is him calling the shots, not his foreign ministry nor those in his cabinet. What you see in the press is just Abbott being Abbott.”

“Fair enough”, I replied, “but strikes me John Howard was the same.” (A rather big leap of faith for me as a non-Australian, but there you have it..)

“No, not at all, you’re wrong”, he quickly replied. “Howard surrounded himself with different people, but more importantly, I can personally tell you he was an absolutely outstanding listener-and leader. He really did listen. A big difference from Abbott.”

It was chit-chat, part of a much longer conversation, and made me think about a recent visit I had in the US.
I went to see an acquaintance who is #2 (maybe #3) in a large MNC. I had not seen him since he left Asia about 3 years ago, and the two of us caught up in his office.

What struck me after we said our goodbyes was how well he listened. It was a 45 minute catch-up, no business agenda, just an exchange. But when I spoke, I noticed he said nothing, just listened. I very seldom get tongue-tied, but found myself slipping a couple of times, only because he kept listening and would not jump in.

He is a leader in his company’s ranking for good reason. He’s smart, driven, global in scope, candid, empathic, a strong mentor. And a very good listener, something I had not known.

It never hurts to be reminded how much can be learnt by listening, and how stature legitimately rises when listening–before any action is taken.

I realise this has all been said before, but it’s the everyday miracles we overlook.

Still unconvinced? Here’s a line that caught my eye, Richard Branson’s recent lunch with the FT.

[Branson] seems unconcerned by the idea of getting into a business he has no feel for, saying: “The key to running a company is to be a good listener.”

He should know.